Nocturne
by Hoodoo
Summary: a new member of the team meets Wolvie
1. First Encounter

Disclaimer: The basics. Marvel owns all X-Men characters. I use them without getting paid or compensated in any way. Don't sue--you won't get much. Alexis/Nocturne is a character of my own creation. Clarification: The "X-Men Universe" isn't put to much use in my stories. I use the characters, but they're in my own universe. Also, these stories are added in chronological order (unless indicated otherwise), and probably make more sense that way. The numbers before the title indicate which story it is-i.e. 1=first story, 2=second story, etc. As always, any questions or comments are welcome! 

1. First Encounter 

Her music was blasting, she was sweating, and in another second this damn robot would be down. 

Alexis wiped her forehead as it finally disappeared. Then a movement in the corner of her eye made her straighten up. She must have counted wrong. She had thought she had destroyed the final robot for her workout, but here was another one. 

It looked different--more human--but that didn't surprise her. It was short and heavily muscled and wore a weird blue and gold outfit. It opened its mouth to speak. 

"This is shitty music. Turn it off." 

No robot had ever spoken before. But Alexis had just destroyed six robots and one more, especially one that insulted her music, wouldn't make a difference. Someone must have programmed it to say that. 

"Jubilee, I'm going to get you for that!" she shouted and rushed towards it. 

The two circled. Alexis made a fake rush, just to see what its reaction would be. It looked like it was smart enough to wait for a real attack. 

"You're the first one that's ever talked," she told it as they continued circling each other. "Can you say anything else besides insulting my musical taste? Would you prefer some synthesizer music instead?" 

Alexis almost laughed at her own bad joke but just then it roared and dove at her. 

She would have rather thrown kicks and punches since it was obviously stronger, but it seemed to be content with wrestling. Alexis grabbed it arms in case it changed its mind about hitting. 

It was a lot stronger and she groaned trying to keep from being thrown to the floor. 

"What's the matter?" she gasped. "Cat got your tongue? Maybe it was a mouse!" 

His hot breath hit her face as he replied, "I ain't a robot!" 

Her eyes widened in surprise. 

"You're real? Who--who are you?" 

She was still struggling against him. 

"Wolverine," he said. 

"Wolverine?" Alexis stopped and stared at him. "Wolver--" 

Her voice cut off as his fist slammed into her nose. It broke with an audible 'pop!'. Alexis stumbled backward in shock, holding her hand to her face. When she pulled it away, blood ran down to her chin. 

"You hit me!" 

"Don't ever stop in the middle of a fight," he replied. "You're lucky this ain't a real one." 

She was still shocked. Carefully she wiped the blood from her face. 

"And git rid of the music. It's got no place in here. What's your name, anyway?" 

Alexis glared at him. "I'm Alexis Abernathy." 

"Whatta 'bout your code name?" 

She paused. Softly she replied, "Cutthroat." 

She missed the amused look in his eyes. "You earn that name?" 

Alexis looked back up and narrowed her eyes. 

Wolverine half-shrugged. "You'll learn ta scrap better. Once you stop yakkin' while you're fightin' and git rid of the music." 

He ignored her look of disbelief and turned to walk away. 

Almost immediately he was tripped. He hit the floor with rigid arms, but her sudden weight on his back knocked him all the way to the ground. Her knee pressed behind his head to pin him there. 

"You should know to never turn your back on an opponent," she said. 

Wolverine grinned. Alexis got off his back and stood up. He turned over. 

"You gonna give me a hand up?" he asked in an amused tone. 

"So you can get a grip on me?" she asked in reply. 

His grin widened. "No--I'll call a truce. We're tied--one ta one." 

Alexis narrowed her eyes and slowly extended her hand. 

Wolverine grasped it and she helped pull him up. She watched to muscles in his legs tense and relax as he stood. X-Men uniforms didn't leave much to the imagination. 

"Well," she said as he stepped back," shall we see who scores the winning point?" 

He glanced at her in surprise. 

"It's got to be better than beating up robots," Alexis continued. 

"Yeah . . . " 

She nodded. "Then let's do it!" 

Wolverine smiled again and pulled off his gloves, then his helmet. He proceeded to strip out of his shirt. 

"Are you planning on going au natural?" 

He glanced at her again. She stood in front of him with a small smile. This woman joked in a slightly hopeful sexual way, wanted to fight, and smelled so . . . inviting . . . Wolverine had to swallow before he answered. 

"You ain't wearin' an X-Man outfit. I want it ta be fair." 

"That's nice." 

He kicked his shirt behind him. "Ready ta start?" 

"Yes," Alexis replied, and without warning, sprung at him. 

It caught him half by surprise. He managed to deflect most of her attack. She spun around to face him again. 

This time it was more intense. Wolverine noticed Alexis was more determined. He held himself back, but each time she surprised him with a move of a sudden burst of speed, he lost a little more control. 

At first when she managed to tap his head or face it had been like a controlled karate strike, but now it was more like a caress. Her fingers would swiftly brush his cheek or sideburns, and a smile would flit in her eyes. 

Wolverine matched her style with restrained hits for awhile . . . he remained relatively stationary as she danced around him. This wasn't an exertion. Why was he sweating? Her smell was almost intoxicating . . . 

His fist flashed by her face. Alexis turned her head quickly to snap at it. She missed, but her mouth left a wet mark on wrist. Instantly Wolverine changed. Taking her by surprise, he jumped at her. His quickness startled her and he knocked her to the floor, straddling her effortlessly. One hand held down her shoulder, and the other positioned blades at her throat. 

"Jubilee? Where's Alexis?" 

"Hi Scott," the girl said, looking up from her magazine. "She's down in the Danger Room." 

"You know, you're supposed to be monitoring people when you're in the observation booth. Take your feet off the computer." 

She sighed but removed her feet. "You're worse than Professor Xavier. Why'd you want Alexis?" 

"Logan's back. I want her to meet him." 

"I think she did--he went down to the floor while she was in there." 

"What? You let him--" 

Scott hurried to the window. Jubilee joined him. 

"Oh my god!" he cried as he saw what was happening. 

Jubilee gasped too. 

They saw Logan leap at Alexis and knock her violently to the ground. They could see he was shaking and panting and his blades were digging into her throat. 

"Quick Jube--call Charles and Remy and Rogue--tell them to get here now! Wolverine's out of control!" 

Scott rushed to the door leading to the Danger Room floor. Remy, who happened to be walking by at the moment, ran in and joined Scott. 

"Gambit--charge a card with enough energy to get him off her!" Scott cried. "He'll kill her!" 

Without a word Remy complied and pitched the glowing pink card at Wolverine as they ran closer. 

Wolverine hadn't heard them enter. Nothing existed but the struggling woman beneath him. His sharp pants only made her scent more intense. 

He cried out in surprise and pain as the card struck the back of his neck. He was thrown off of Alexis. 

He was shaking his head groggily as Scott ran up and grabbed his arm. 

"Logan!" he shouted. "What do you think you're doing?! You know the rules--no one interrupts a Danger Room session! And Alexis isn't an enemy, she's one of us! You could have killed her!" 

Wolverine was still a little shaken, but his eyes blazed as he stood up to confront Scott. He bared his teeth. 

"Scott, what's your problem?" Alexis exploded. 

Remy had helped her up. "Cherie--" 

She shook off his hand. She too, was panting and sweating. Scott and Wolverine watched her in surprise. 

"Alexis, are you all right?" Scott asked quickly. 

"Yes I'm all right! Who invited you? What the hell's the deal? Wolverine and I were having a workout, Scott! Isn't one of your rules not to interrupt a workout?" 

Remy watched in amusement. Logan wore a slight smile. Scott still looked shocked. 

"But, but Alexis . . . Logan was out of control! He could have killed you!" 

"I think Logan can judge when he's out of control!" 

Logan glanced at her. 

"I can't believe you stopped us--" 

Professor Xavier and Rogue rushed into the room. 

"What has happened?" he asked quickly. 

Scott hurried to explain. "Logan and Alexis were having an unscheduled workout--" 

"Good bye," Logan spit. He pushed passed Scott to get his shirt. 

"Logan! Come back here!" 

He scooped up his shirt and stomped out of the room ignoring Scott. 

Alexis was glaring at Scott. "There aren't any rules against inviting people to workout with, Scott! You don't have any right to stop--" 

"Logan was crazy, Alexis," he tried to explain patiently. "I've known him longer--he would have--" 

"Shut up, Scott. I'm sorry, Professor," Alexis said. "I'm going to go take a shower." 

And she stormed out of the room as well. 

Charles looked to Scott, who was alternately angry, confused, and shocked. The Professor waited for his halting explanation before he reprimanded him. 

Alexis sat with a book on her lap, staring out the window. She had tried to read, but after repeating the same paragraph four times she gave up. 

She looked outside but didn't really see anything. Images of today flashed through her head. Wolverine's startling blue eyes, the way the muscles rippled in his back, how heavy he was straddling her . . . . 

"It was a good fight taday, Cutthroat," he said, making her jump. 

She turned quickly. Wolverine was leaning on the door frame. She smiled. 

"Why'd you stick up for me the Danger Room?" he asked softly. 

Alexis shrugged. "I knew what I was getting into. I thought I could handle it. And if not . . . well, you won fair and square anyway. Besides, Scott was being an asshole." 

Wolverine half-smiled. That smell . . . he could always tell when other women were having their periods too, but why was hers so strong? He wanted to go right over to her and just give into the urges--rip off those damn clothes and take her there, on the floor, on the chair, anywhere--he felt heat build up in his groin and spread to his legs and stomach, and creep up his chest . . . . 

He swallowed quickly. 

"We could continue the fight tomorrow if you'd like," Alexis was saying. She smiled. "After we 'schedule it properly' and all." 

"Maybe," Wolverine said weakly. "I could have killed you, you know. I'll . . . I'll see you around, Cutthroat." 

And he was gone. 

Startled, Alexis stood up and went to the door to call after him. She looked down the hall both directions, but Wolverine was nowhere in sight. Alexis looked for him the next morning too but didn't find him. She asked Ororo about him at lunch. 

"Logan? He left again early this morning. He must still have unfinished business in Canada to attend to. That's why he hasn't been here. I assume he must have driven back," Storm explained. 

"Thanks, Storm," Alexis replied, but was still left wondering and puzzled. 


	2. A Rose By Any Other Name

Disclaimer: The basics. Marvel owns all X-Men characters. I use them without getting paid or compensated in any way. Don't sue--you won't get much. Alexis/Nocturne is a character of my own creation. Clarification: The "X-Men Universe" isn't put to much use in my stories. I use the characters, but they're in my own universe. Also, these stories are added in chronological order (unless indicated otherwise), and probably make more sense that way. The numbers before the title indicate which story it is-i.e. 1=first story, 2=second story, etc. As always, any questions or comments are welcome! 

2. A Rose by Any Other Name . . . 

"Hi Beast. What're you doing?" 

He turned. "Hello, Alexis." 

He flipped the book he had been reading over. 

"What are you reading?" she asked, sitting down beside him. 

He cleared his throat before answering. "I'm reading . . . Alice in Wonderland." 

She looked interested. 

"It's only for research," he explained quickly. 

"I like that book," she said, "it's really good. If you want to discuss the mathematical subtext of it, I'd be happy to discuss it with you. I read it in an English Lit class." 

"You took English Literature?" 

"Does that surprise you?" 

"Well frankly . . . yes. You don't seem the type." 

Alexis looked taken back. "And what type do I seem?" 

He shrugged. "I don't know . . . you seem to share many traits with Logan. He would never read this novel." 

"Wolverine," she said. "Yeah, I know. But I'm not him. Even though people think . . . with my name and all . . . ." 

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone since you're reading." She moved to leave. 

Beast caught her arm. "No--you can stay, Alexis. It won't bother me at all. Was there something on your mind? Can I help you with something?" 

She sat down again. "Oh Hank . . . I don't know. Some times I wonder . . . you seem to be the only one who'd understand this. Can I dump on you?" 

"If it eases your mind, please do so." 

"It's just that some times I feel like I don't belong here. Or anywhere! I feel like a double mutant with my mother's ability and this other--" she gestured in non- understanding, "--power I have too!" 

Tears clouded her vision, even though she tried to hold them back. 

"Don't cry," Hank said softly. He took her hands. "You're here because this is the safest place for you to be. You'll learn to control your ability." 

The tears began to roll down her cheeks. Hank made a move to wipe them away, but Alexis pulled her head back. 

"Don't," she cautioned, "they'll burn you." She wiped them way herself. Then she burst into harder tears. "You see? I can't even let anyone touch me!" 

Hank soothed her. He went as far as removing the wet from her cheeks. Her acid tears did sting him, but he wouldn't let her see him flinch. 

"My mother could control hers! My cousins too! Why can't I?!" 

"Your mother and cousins aren't mutants in our sense. It's more like instinct to them. Your shape-shifting ability is like that, correct? It's heredity. It is only the acid heat ability that is a mutant power." 

She nodded. 

"Then that is the only power you must learn to control. With Professor Xavier's guidance, it will not take long to master," he assured. 

"I have been trying to learn to control it! But once it get started I can't stop it!" 

"Don't be impatient. Time governs all things. We all had problems understanding and controlling our powers." 

Alexis refused to look at him, unconvinced. He was silent a moment, then suggested, 

"Perhaps you need a boost to your confidence, Alexis. A small positive step to influence larger ones." 

She glanced at him. "What do you mean, Hank?" 

"For example, you could . . . " he paused to consider. "You could change your name." 

"My name?" 

"Yes. I don't believe Cutthroat really suits you. You wish to be disassociated from Logan's persona, but 'Cutthroat' is a hindrance. As I discover more each day, you're not what one would perceive as cutthroat. Not your personality or your attitude or your . . . anything." 

She blushed. "But everyone's always called me Cutthroat. When I was little I had a harder time controlling the wolf half of my soul. The other kids teased me about it. One time a boy called a 'horrible cutthroat sheep killer dog.' The 'cutthroat dog' part stuck. Then it was shortened to 'Cutthroat.' No one ever forgot it." 

"I'm sorry," Hank said softly. 

She smiled bitterly. "I'm used to it." 

They were silent a moment. Hank grew very conscious of holding her hands and broke the quiet. 

"There--you see? You need a new name, Alexis, a positive name to emphasize a new start." 

"Everyone here knows me as Cutthroat," she fretted. "Will they think it's weird if I just suddenly change my name?" 

"Only Logan would have the gall to be rude about it. The others may be curious, but you could explain your reasons to them. And Professor Xavier would probably concur a name change is beneficial to your psyche." 

Alexis tingled with excitement. She squeezed his hands, making him more uncomfortable. 

"All right, Hank," she said quickly. "I want a new name." 

He smiled and sighed with relief as she sat back. "Good. What kind of name do you want? Something that describes your powers?" 

She closed her eyes. "I don't know . . . something artistic. Not cruel. It doesn't have to describe my powers. It could be misleading. But creative." 

"With those restrictions it narrows down the possibilities." 

"Hank!" she laughed. 

He smiled again. "It won't be that difficult. Let's get started." They sat up and discussed it. It was more difficult than they imagined--nothing seemed to fit. Soon the rest of the sofa and the coffee table were littered with discarded books and magazines they had searched through. 

Gambit wandered through and listened to their quest. He suggested "Grenier" and "Loup-Garou" off-handedly. 

In a disgusted tone Alexis turned him down. "No thank you. Those are worse than the one I have now." 

"I know, chere," Gambit replied with a smile. "I was only teasin'. Dere ain't much I can help. I'll leave you with Beast--he's de word monger." 

Smiling again and patting her leg, Gambit left. 

Alexis looked over at Hank. His eyes held a surprised gleam. She guessed why. 

"When you come from a family like mine," she explained, "you learn all the old legends and folklore." 

He still seemed surprised at the extent of her knowledge but said nothing. 

Storm came in a bit later. Hers was the only feasible suggestion so far--Cerberus--but Alexis wasn't overly fond of it. 

Finally the rest of the house was silent. Everyone else had gone to bed. Alexis, half-discouraged, got up, her spine cracking, and went to the stereo. Turning it on, the blast of pop music made her jump. 

"Jubilee must have been listening to it," commented Hank mildly, thumbing through another book. 

She ran through the dial until she found a classical station. Slow music filled the room. Again Hank looked surprised as she came back to the couch. 

"You enjoy classical music?" 

"Among other things. Do you mind if I sit here?" 

She indicated the floor beside his leg. 

" . . . no. Not-not at all." 

She sat down easily. Gradually she leaned lightly against his leg as she closed her eyes to concentrate on the music. "What piece of music is this?" he asked her. 

"I don't know. It's nice." 

Hank put down his book and watched her. She looked content. The type of music popped into his head. 

"This is a nocturne," he informed her. 

"I like it." 

"So do I." 

To his dismay, she moved away from his leg to turn and look at him. He smiled anyway. 

"Can I safely assume we can disband our search?" 

Happily she nodded. 

Hank wanted to talk to her longer, to find out more about her, but didn't stop her as she got up to go to bed. Quickly they straightened the books and magazines. 

"Thank you, Hank," Alexis said when they were finished. "This means a lot." 

She stretched and kissed his cheek. Smiling good night to him, she walked away, down the hall. 

Hank watched her go with a slightly astonished grin on his face. --- The next morning, Alexis wandered down to breakfas. The Professor, Scott, Storm, and Jubilee were there, each with a section of newspaper. 

"Good morning," the Professor said. 

"Did you finally decide on a name?" Storm asked. 

The others looked up. 

"Yes," Alexis said with conviction. To set it up, she explained, "I thought about it--Hank and I did . . . the name Cutthroat doesn't really fit me. I'd rather be called Nocturne." 

No one seemed surprised. Jubilee exclaimed, 

"That's cool! Why can't I have a cool name like that? All I get stuck with is a name that's my real name!" Alexis smiled in relief. Scott and Storm both nodded approval, then apologized to hurry off. Professor Xavier also seemed pleased. 

"A good choice," he said. "A name can and does influence attitude and performance. Are you happy?" 

She nodded and smiled. He returned the smile, reminded Jubilee of her lessons, and left. 

Alexis sat down happily beside Jubilee and laughed over the comics with her. 


	3. First Blood

Disclaimer: The basics. Marvel owns all X-Men characters. I use them without getting paid or compensated in any way. Don't sue--you won't get much. Alexis/Nocturne is a character of my own creation. Clarification: The "X-Men Universe" isn't put to much use in my stories. I use the characters, but they're in my own universe. Also, these stories are added in chronological order (unless indicated otherwise), and probably make more sense that way. The numbers before the title indicate which story it is-i.e. 1=first story, 2=second story, etc. As always, any questions or comments are welcome! 

3. First Blood . . . 

"Wolverine," she whispered, standing opposite him. He had interrupted another of her Danger Room work-outs. This time he had shut down the computer. Now he stood in front of her, not moving, not speaking. She could hear his breath. Finally she questioned, still in hushed tones, "What do you want?" 

His eyes flashed. 

"I want you, Cutthroat," he replied, stepping closer. 

She shook her head. "Don't call me that." 

He didn't answer. In a swift movement he pulled her to him and pressed his lips on hers. It was so rough and abrupt she gasped. 

But she didn't push him away. His lips were demanding and his mouth was tainted with stale cigar smoke. Nocturne ignored it. His tongue explored each of her teeth as she shoved her fingers through his coarse hair. 

His entire body was hard. His hands were iron on her arm and neck and she whimpered softly. 

Wolverine pushed her back a step. Nocturne watched him meekly, wondering if he was rejecting her. He looked over her critically, half-smiled, and reached for her shirt. 

Slipping his hand under the edge, Nocturne was surprised at the coolness on her stomach. Wolverine paused, and suddenly, his blades shot up her stomach, between her breasts. They stopped under her chin. The points dug painfully into her throat. 

She gasped at the shocking warmth and swiftness. In another second Wolverine shredded her shirt. Then his blades were gone. 

Nocturne trembled and involuntarily pressed her hand on her chest. Wolverine pulled her hand away and glared at her as if daring her to defy his actions. 

She did. Yanking her hand away from his she exploded, 

"If I had blades would you let me take your pants off that way?!" 

Wolverine grinned in amusement. "No." 

She bared her teeth at him and turned away, offended. 

Wolverine's smile faded. Stepping up behind her, he grabbed her again. One hand entangled itself in her hair. He pulled back until her throat was exposed. 

"I'll take your pants off that way, Cutthroat," he whispered harshly. His breath was hot on her neck. 

His other hand, which had encircled her waist to hold her against him, slowly made its way down her leg. He paused, watching her face, as the blades on his left hand leisurely slid down her left leg. 

Slowly, deliberately, Wolverine drew them up along her leg. The thin material of her pants separated as he continued. He stopped as he reached her stomach again. 

"You see," he whispered, "it's that simple." 

She panted a bit, but relaxed against him. She smiled weakly. 

In a sudden burst of movement, Wolverine slashed her other pant leg. Startled, Nocturne jumped. Her pants fell to her ankles, now just shredded rags. 

Two of his blades had thinly sliced her. Twin lines of blood coursed down her leg. 

Immediately Wolverine spun her around. He dropped to his knees in front of her. 

Starting at her knee, his tongue removed both rivulets of blood. Once again her hands pushed through his hair. Softly she stroked his ears and the sides of his face. 

He was quick and surprisingly gentle. In only a few minutes the wounds he had inflicted were clean. He didn't move away but stayed kneeling in front of her. He panted heavily. 

"Wolverine," Nocturne whispered. 

"It's near, isn't it?" he asked suddenly. "Your time of the month. It's almost time for it?" 

It was so uncharacteristic of him to ask something that personal so frankly Nocturne was surprised. His tone was indescribable--drifting between curiosity and worry. She nodded. 

"Yes, it is. I expect it in a few days." 

"I can tell. I can always tell with you," he replied quickly. He glanced up at her, then away again as he continued. "You've only been here a few months. I can always tell!" 

Wolverine glanced at her again. She watched with dismay as dark shutters closed down behind his eyes. 

"I can smell it," he said. "It drives me insane. The smell almost overwhelms me--do you know how many times all I've wanted ta do is grab you an' rip off your clothes an' fuck you?!" 

His voice rose at the end and he grabbed her arms. She flinched and shook her head. 

"I have, Cutthroat. A lotta times . . . an' most of the time, I didn't want ta control myself!" 

His tone was accusing. He abruptly dropped her arms. 

Nocturne stepped out of her pants. Nakedness didn't bother her. 

"Wolverine," she whispered, "you just need to slow down." 

Carefully she raised her hands to his cheeks. They slid across his skin and passed his sideburns. She slowly lifted his head and pressed her lips on his. 

She kissed him. It was gentle and soft. Her tongue glided over his lips into his mouth. Cautiously it moved passed his fangs and found his tongue. 

Nocturne glanced at him. His eyes were closed. 

His tongue was heavy, as if he was making no effort to respond. Slowly he opened up. As he moved his tongue, more of the cigar taste flooded her mouth. Once again she ignored it. 

The kiss was still gentle and slow. Wolverine's hands carefully held her waist. He was shy. Nocturne realized this was completely out of character for him. She hoped he wouldn't want to stop. 

It continued a little while the same way. Gradually Nocturne began to move her hands down Wolverine's neck to his chest. She started to unhook the buttons on his shirt. While she did this occasionally his mouth would get more demanding, but he would always calm and return the gentleness. 

Nocturne finished and pushed his shirt open and over his shoulders. Her fingers drew lazy designs through the hair on his chest. She felt his heart rate increase and he stepped closer. 

Then suddenly his attitude changed again. His mouth and tongue grew harsh and demanding. His grip tightened on her waist so much she pulled away to gasp in pain. 

Wolverine bared his teeth. "Now, Cutthroat," he growled. He lowered her to the floor. 

He discarded his pants so quickly she didn't see him do it. He went between her legs. 

Nocturne swallowed. "Wolverine--" she pleaded, "--don't hurt me!" 

He licked his lips. "I won't hurt you." 

Strangely, she believed him. 

He still wasn't smooth or considerate. He held her wrists tightly between his palms and the floor. The solid heaviness of his body forced the breath out of her. 

Wolverine's pace was driving and furious--almost desperate. Surprisingly, it didn't really hurt her. She discovered she actually enjoyed it. 

She wanted to pull him closer but he wouldn't release her arms. She strained and struggled and her fingernails erupted into talons but she couldn't break out of Wolverine's grip. 

Nocturne groaned underneath him and snarled. He snarled back. Her legs tightened around his waist. Her toenails, also claws, dug into the backs of his thighs. 

Sweat beaded on them both and slowly ran in rivulets on Nocturne's body. She continued to moan loudly with his thrusts. He panted with her. 

An orgasm was slowly building in her, as brutal as he was. Her body ached from it. 

The suddenly everything exploded into bright lights. Nocturne threw back her head and barely choked down a scream. 

A few seconds later Wolverine half-arched his back, closed his eyes, and groaned loudly as he came. Gradually his iron grip on her arms was relaxed. 

He moved off her easily. She still gasped painfully for breath. 

Digging through his pants pockets Wolverine pulled out two-thirds of a cigar. Leisurely he lit and dragged on it. 

"You oughtta have those nails trimmed," he told her. 

Looking over at him, Nocturne saw blood running over his legs. Her claws had torn into him. She hadn't even known it. As she watched, though, the bleeding stopped and the wounds healed. 

"Did you like it?" he asked cockily. 

"You're not the most considerate lover," she replied testily, sitting up and fingering the remains of her shirt. 

Wolverine, indifferently, blew smoke out of his mouth away from her. "You're only twenty two," he said dryly. "You've never had a considerate lover." 

Nocturne glared at him. 

"You didn't answer my question, Cutthroat. Did you like it?" 

She didn't reply. 

He smirked. "You did. You loved it. Inside you were screaming for more. I know, Cutthroat." 

She refused to look at him. "Don't call me that!" 

"I'll call you what I want." 

Their sweat was beginning to dry. The combination of that and the powerful beckoning scent from her began building up his desire again. She probably wasn't even aware how much control it took not to simply rape her. 

Wolverine moved back to her side. He removed his cigar and began kissing, then lightly biting her arm. He traveled up to her shoulder. His teeth made slight indentations in her skin. 

His mouth made it to her neck. He continued his almost painful caresses. Nocturne exposed her throat on her own this time. She breathed from her mouth. 

"I could take you again, right now," he whispered throatily, between bites. 

His breath was laced now with fresh cigar smoke. It still took her extreme effort to push his head away. Surprise and dim anger gleamed in his eyes. 

"No, Wolverine," Nocturne replied, looking at him. "I want more than that." 

"More than what?" 

"More than someone who'll only touch me when I'm having my period!" she snapped. 

He closed his mouth and forced his breath out through his nose. He sat back and stuck the smoldering cigar back between his teeth. 

"Like Beast?" he said shortly. 

Nocturne turned away from him again. Finally she answered, 

"I hope you didn't get me pregnant." 

"You on birth control?" 

"Yes. But who knows what could happen. We're mutants." 

"So's Beast." Wolverine blew smoke and took another drag. "He ain't got you pregnant yet." 

She looked at him in disgust. "Hank and I haven't slept together." 

He raised his eyebrow and watched her in blatant skepticism. 

Nocturne sighed. "We haven't done anything. My god--we haven't even kissed!" 

Wolverine smirked. "Right," he replied, even though it was obvious he still didn't believe her. He took a puff. "But let's talk about us, Cutthroat." 

"Don't call me that!" she exploded. Her hand lashed out, leaving bloody tracks on his cheek. 

Before she could retaliate further Wolverine pinned her on her back to the floor. One set of blades pressed on her throat. His eyes glittered. With the cigar clamped between his teeth he threatened, 

"Don't ever do that again--" even as the wounds closed themselves, "--or you'd better learn ta heal yourself quick. You'll have three holes through your neck." 

Nocturne didn't flinch away. But she was helpless beneath him and his desire flooded back. 

Swiftly he removed the cigar and leaned down to kiss her. Once again he ravaged her mouth. And once again she made no attempt to stop him. She moaned deep in her throat as his bladed retracted. 

Finally he stopped. Licking his lips, he sat back and let her up. Once she had caught her breath he said civilly, 

"Now. Let's talk about us, Nocturne." 

She looked at him in surprise. He smiled around his cigar. 

"Oh Wolverine," she whispered in dismay. 

He was silent. 

"There is no 'us.'" 

"There has to be. Being a team an' all that shit Scott's always shoving down our throats." 

"That's not what I meant and you know it! There is no us--you and me!" 

"You can't tell me you didn't like what we did!" he shouted. 

She closed her eyes. "Yes I liked it! I loved it! But we don't have anything!" 

"Don't have anything?" he cried. "We just--" 

"We just fucked on the floor of the Danger Room," Nocturne interrupted loudly. "Or maybe it should be: you fucked me on the floor of the Danger Room!" 

Wolverine frowned. She stood up. 

"You'd be the last person I thought who'd make something more out of something like this!" 

He stood up and forced her to look at him. "Then why didn't you stop me?" he challenged. 

Nocturne clenched her fists. "I don't know!" 

He let her go. She didn't move away as he ducked his head to take his cigar out of his mouth. He looked back at her. 

Carefully, not allowing any other part of his body to touch her, Wolverine put his lips on hers again. His tongue didn't penetrate her mouth. Occasionally it would brush passed her lips as his moved sensuously on her mouth, but nothing more. 

He felt her reluctantly relax. Her hands slowly were raised. They brushed the top layer of his hair on the sides of his head. He could feel her tremble. 

For less than a second she strained toward him. She stopped herself and forced herself back. 

No fury blazed in his eyes. 

"Oh . . . I don't know, Wolverine. I just . . . don't know." She continued backing away. "I . . . I'm sorry, Logan." 

Nocturne scooped up her ruined clothing and bolted for the door, changing to wolf as she went. By the time she got to the exit she was completely canine. She darted around the corner and was gone. 

Wolverine watched with a mix of emotions on his face. Automatically the cigar was returned to his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he held in the smoke until his lungs burned. He turned sharply and began to pull on his own clothes. 


	4. Bittersweet

Disclaimer: The basics. Marvel owns all X-Men characters. I use them without getting paid or compensated in any way. Don't sue--you won't get much. Alexis/Nocturne is a character of my own creation. Clarification: The "X-Men Universe" isn't put to much use in my stories. I use the characters, but they're in my own universe. Also, these stories are added in chronological order (unless indicated otherwise), and probably make more sense that way. The numbers before the title indicate which story it is-i.e. 1=first story, 2=second story, etc. As always, any questions or comments are welcome! 

4. Bittersweet . . . 

"Oh--I can never find the North Star!" 

"It's right . . . there. See? The bright one all by itself?" 

"The bright one. All by itself. No sense being specific." 

"Here. Look. There's the Big Dipper. You look at the two stars on the end in a line and they point to the North Star. It starts the handle of the Little Dipper." 

Alexis put her head on his shoulder so she could look up his arm and determine where he was pointing. 

"I still don't see it." 

"The Little Dipper is perpendicular to the Big Dipper," Hank said patiently. 

"Wait . . . wait--is the North Star bigger than all the other stars in the Little Dipper?" 

"Yes." 

"I see it! Right there!" 

Alexis smiled and squeezed his arm. Hank smiled with her. 

"Okay," Alexis said happily, moving away from his arm and settling back on the blanket again. "Now I see the North Star. Show me Sirius." 

"Ha!" he replied. "If you had trouble with the North Star, you'll never see Sirius." 

"Yes I will," she said. "Sirius, the Dog Star. In the constellation of Canis Major. It's the brightest star in the night sky. It's right there, passed Orion." 

"If it's the brightest, what is that really bright point of light just above those trees?" 

"I said the brightest star, Hank," Alexis said. "That's a planet. Of course they're brighter--they're closer and reflect our sun's light." 

"Is Sirius all ways the brightest?" 

She gave him a withering look. "No. During the day the closest star--93 million miles away--obscures the light of other stars. The sun. Duh." 

Hank smiled. 

"You should be tutoring Jubilee on this stuff, Hank." 

"You could too. Since you lied so well about not knowing where the North Star or Sirius are." 

"I didn't lie about the North Star!" she laughed. "And Sirius . . . well, I just wanted to have you point it out to me." 

"Did you take astronomy courses?" 

"No. They never fit into my schedule." 

"Too bad we aren't in the Southern Hemisphere," he said. "Then I could show you constellations. I'd show you the Wolf." 

Alexis looked at him. "There's really a constellation called that?" 

"Yes." 

She smiled happily again and sighed as she looked back up at the sky. There weren't many lights so far away from the house and since it was just the end of spring the weather was warmer. The insects weren't out in full force yet, although occasionally the black form of a bat would swoop by. The moon was a sliver. 

Alexis lay contentedly on the blanket beside Hank, staring at the cosmos. Hank propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her. 

She turned her head to look at him. 

"Wait," he protested. "Don't move." 

She turned her face back to the sky. 

"There," Hank said. "Now I can see the stars reflected in your eyes again. It's beautiful." 

Her stomach began knotting. "Hank," she whispered, looking at him again. 

"You're beautiful," he said, just as soft. 

"Oh Hank . . . . " 

He paused. Slowly, carefully, he lowered his head to hers. 

Alexis pulled away. 

Hank closed his mouth and sat back, not looking at her. Alexis sat up. 

"Hank--" 

"It's Logan, isn't it?" he asked softly, interrupting her. 

She didn't answer for a moment. Finally she replied, 

"Yes. But Hank, I--" 

"Are you going to start seeing him seriously?" 

As she paused again, Hank looked over to her. 

" . . . yes. I think so." 

He sighed a bit. He whispered, "Then I guess it's over between us. Well, actually, I guess we never had anything to begin with." 

"Hank, what are you talking about?" 

"Just the dreams of a hopeless romantic. I thought we had something, Alexis. A little something that if it went much further might erupt into a romance. A tender, sweet, wonderful love affair. So sweet . . . I had so many dreams, so many wishes . . . in the past three months I accumulated more hopes than in my entire life. And all of them revolved around you, Alexis." 

"Hank, don't tell me this," she whispered painfully. 

"You make me feel more like a man than anyone I've ever known. The first day I met you saw passed the blue fur and fangs and saw who I am inside. That meant more to me than anything . . . and we became friends and pretty soon I was counting the seconds till I could hold you and kiss you and make oh so sweet love to you--" 

"Hank stop." 

He looked at her. "And you want to know the funny part? Even now, right now, you've told me you're going to Logan and I can't be mad at you." 

Alexis looked puzzled. 

"I should be furious! I should be jealous and spiteful and scream every awful thought I can think of at you and make your life hell!" As he gave his speech tears collected in his eyes. He dropped his voice and looked down. "But I can't, Alexis. Because that would hurt you, and I can't do that." 

"Oh Hank . . . " she whispered. Carefully she took his hand and shoulder. 

As he turned back to her she noticed the wet lines on his cheeks. He allowed her to wipe them off. 

"Simply thinking of you touching me makes my stomach dance with butterflies," he whispered with his eyes closed. "Having you actually do it makes me weak." 

"Hank . . ." 

He opened his eyes. "And now it's over. Everything. But like I said, I can't be angry. I wish you happiness, Alexis, from the bottom of my heart." 

"Hey," she half-laughed nervously, "you make it sound like we'll never see each other again." 

He only looked at her. 

"Can't we still be friends? Please, Hank. You're the best friend I have here--I don't want us to give up on that." 

"I don't want to lose it either, Alexis. We were friends before I . . . began wishing." 

"Then what's the problem?" 

Hank paused. "Logan," he said. "Logan's the problem." 

"What?" 

"He won't like you spending so much time with another man--with me," he predicted. 

"So? He's not going to run my life, Hank." 

He watched her calmly. "I've known Logan a little longer than you--no offense." 

"None taken. Go on." 

"It's just that Logan's very . . . possessive. Very territorial. He's so competitive . . . you're a woman. Once he gets the idea that you're 'his,' there's only two ways you'll have to get out of that relationship. Either you beat Logan up to establish who's boss, or have another guy beat Logan up to 'claim' you." 

"It's a dire picture you paint, artist." 

"It's true!" Hank insisted quickly. "Logan only barely holds his raw instincts in check, Alexis! That means you either stay on his good side or watch your back. And that means he won't be very receptive of you having an extremely close male friend--like me!" 

Alexis shook her head. "I can't believe that, Hank. You're underestimating his human side." 

"I hope for your sake you're right." 

"Hank, I'm not going to give up my friends just because Logan snaps his fingers! If he expects that he'll find out real soon who the boss is! What matters is how we feel. Do you still want to be friends if I'm going out with Logan?" 

Hank looked at her. "I don't want to see you hurt . . . " Noticing she was getting impatient, he quickly added, "Yes. I still want us to be friends." 

Alexis smiled. "Thank you, Hank. I want us to stay friends too." 

He returned the smile. Now it felt as though things were even more relaxed between them. 

They gathered up the blanket and walked slowly back to the mansion arm in arm. They paused outside her door. 

"Good night, Hank." 

He nodded. "Come down to my lab tomorrow. I'm going to try the magnetic bottle again." 

"All right. If it's as much a success as the last one, at least I'll get a good show." 

He smiled with her. 

"Sleep well, Hank." Alexis took his hand and stretched up to kiss his cheek. 

Hank stopped her. "Don't make this any harder than it already is." He squeezed his eyes shut. "No anatomical pun intended." 

"Hank!" she laughed. 

"Good night, Alexis," he replied, smiling still. 

He squeezed her hand and turned to go to his own room alone. 


	5. Letter Home

Disclaimer: The basics. Marvel owns all X-Men characters. I use them without getting paid or compensated in any way. Don't sue--you won't get much. Alexis/Nocturne and Victoria are characters of my own creation. Clarification: The "X-Men Universe" isn't put to much use in my stories. I use the characters, but they're in my own universe. Also, these stories are added in chronological order (unless indicated otherwise), and probably make more sense that way. The numbers before the title indicate which story it is-i.e. 1=first story, 2=second story, etc. As always, any questions or comments are welcome! 

5. Letter Home . . . 

Dear Victoria, 

Hello from Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters! I haven't been called a youngster for a long time . . . as a matter of fact, the youngest person here is 14, so I feel ancient! You should real come up and visit (hint hint)--you live so close and I haven't seen you since Christmas! You have got to meet some of the guys that're up here. Holy cats! Some of them are red hot. Especially Remy--he's really your type. I think you and him would get along fantastically! (another hint!!) 

I want you to meet Logan too . . . I know I've written about him before but our relationship changed. Let me tell you about it . 

. . . Victoria smiled and put down the letter. Her cousin Alexis always wrote so enthusiastically, especially after she got to Professor Xavier's school. Apparently she was invited to attend. Victoria really didn't know much about it (a school for youngsters?! Alexis was twenty-three), but she knew her mother had been thinking about it lately. She just hadn't had the chance to ask her about it. 

Victoria went back to the letter. As she read, the scene unfolded in detail in her mind, almost as if she was standing by watching and hearing it . . . 

"Hank! That would never work!" Alexis laughed. 

. . . Victoria knew Alexis had written favorably in her opinion of Hank--then this Logan person came along . . . 

"How can we know unless we try?" she could hear Hank reply. 

"It wouldn't work! The moon reflects light. It doesn't give off its own. That's why things are solar powered and not lunar powered!" 

"But if it worked it could be the scientific break-though of the century!" 

"The century just started fourteen years ago, Hank." 

"Don't be so pessimistic." 

"All right," Alexis said seriously, with her hands on her hips, "then tell me this, Mr. Genius. What practical use would lunar-powered batteries have?" 

Hank bit his lip. "Um . . . well . . . I guess they could . . . ." 

Alexis smiled in triumph. 

"Wait! I know! If we could make the batteries and power collectors big enough, astronauts could fly to the moon when the sun was down at night!" 

"Hank!" she shrieked in laughter. 

He laughed with her. They fell over each other guffawing. It made their stomachs hurt and their eyes water. 

"That . . . that is the most . . . ridiculous thing I have . . . ever heard!" gasped Alexis. 

"Do they give out Nobel Prizes for stupidity?" 

"They wouldn't have a contest! You'd win every year!" 

It made them roar again. 

"Alexis." 

. . . Victoria turned with Alexis. Logan was standing in the doorway. Victoria had never met him but could imagine him--bulky, brooding, not much humor . . . 

"What, Logan?" Alexis asked, wiping tears from her face. 

"I want ta talk ta you." 

"In a minute, okay? I--" 

"Now." 

Alexis sighed and said formally to Hank, "Excuse me for a moment, Henry. Logan wishes to have words with me." 

Hank wanted to burst out in laughter again, but caught a glimpse of Logan's face and contained it. Alexis untangled herself from Hank's legs and got up off the floor to walk over to Logan. He took her arm and pulled her down the hallway into an empty room. "What's the deal, Logan?" she asked angrily as he turned to her. 

"No. What the hell's the deal with you?" he spit back, not bothering to remove his cigar. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I'm talkin' about you an' Hank, Cutthroat!" 

. . . Victoria flinched. People still called her that?! . . . 

Logan continued. "I'm talkin' about all the time you spend with him--doin' whatever! You're always with him!" 

"Yeah? So? Your point is . . . ." she prompted sarcastically. 

"The point is you're mine," he exclaimed as if that should explain it and end it all. 

Alexis's jaw dropped. "Excuse me? What did you say? I'm yours? I don't belong to anybody, Logan--not you, not Hank, not my parents--nobody!" 

"But you an' me--" 

"You and me what?" she exploded. "There isn't 'you and me!' You want to know the deal with me and Hank? Fine," Alexis shouted. "I like Hank. We're friends. We get along well. We talk, we laugh, we have a good time. My god--the only thing we don't do is have sex!" 

His eyes never left her face. Smoke make fine gray lines around him. 

"Then maybe you just should," he told her abruptly, and turned to walk out the door. 

"Logan!" Alexis shouted. "Don't you dare walk out that door! Don't you dare walk away from me like that!" 

He stopped. 

"Hank and I are friends, Logan. Nothing more. I don't want to have sex with him. I want this relationship--what little of it there is--to work." 

Logan turned his head. "What do you mean--what little of it there is?" 

"Exactly that. We don't have a real relationship. We just use each other." 

"How?" 

"For sex, damnit! But I want more than that. I want someone to laugh with and cry with and everything else. That's what I want." 

"Then like I said," he replied, turning away again, "you've got it. Go fuck Beast." 

"Damnit Logan!" she shouted, grabbing the closest throwable item--a book--and lugging it at him. It struck him in the center of his back. "I don't want Hank! I want you! If I had a sledgehammer I'd pound it into your skull! You, Logan, you!" 

Logan stopped and turned back to her. He narrowed his eyes. "You do?" 

"Yes!" Alexis screamed in frustration. 

He was silent, chewing his cigar and slightly shaking his head. "You--me?" 

"Jesus! Yes you, Logan--but you never gave me a chance! You were gone almost the whole three months I came here--I maybe saw you twice--and then you get back and literally drag me to the floor and rip my clothes off! A week after that I moved into your bed--and I don't even know you! We've been sleeping together and having sex--I can't even call it that--we've been fucking for a month and a half and if I bumped into you on the street I would hardly know your name!" 

Alexis took a breath and whispered, "You're right. No matter what either us thinks, I should go to Hank." 

Logan looked confused at her statement. "What?" he asked softly. 

Alexis ran a hand through her hair and looked at him. "You can say what you want about me just going to Hank, Logan, but I know you don't want me to." 

He shifted. "Of course I don't. You're mine--I mean . . . of course I don't want you to." 

"Don't start with that 'you're mine' territorial shit. You wanted a real relationship long before possession came into play." 

"What?" he asked. "I . . . what?" 

She looked in his eyes. "You kissed me," she said softly. "You always kiss me. From day one to last night. No matter how brutal or rough it is, it's still a kiss. If all you wanted was someone to get you off and be nothing but a woman-sized equivalent of your hand, you wouldn't come near my lips. But you do." 

Logan shrugged slowly. After a contemplation he said, "It bothers you I haven't done more." 

Alexis nodded. "Yes. I want more. I can't understand why you won't open up even a little to me." 

They stood silently for a moment. Finally Logan cleared his throat and said, "I'm . . . sorry, Alexis. Maybe we could . . . try again?" 

She raised her eyebrows, a smile beginning at the corners of her mouth. 

"I'll take you out ta dinner tanight--if you want ta go." 

Alexis grinned. "I'd love to, Logan." 

. . . and so he took me out to dinner . . . 

Victoria smiled again. Whatever her opinion of Logan was, she had to admire Alexis for her patience and forgiveness. Maybe she would have to meet Logan . . . if Alexis was so gung-ho over this relationship there had to be something there . . . she went back to the letter. 

There were only a few short paragraphs left, but again entire scenes played out in Victoria's mind . . . 

"Okay," Alexis said, over the rim of her coffee cup," so what you're telling me is that you can't ever have broken bones." 

Logan nodded. 

"And you heal so fast you're never hurt." 

"Not for long, no." 

Alexis shook her head. "That's what I heard," she said, "But I've never had a real opportunity to see it." 

He glanced around to make sure no one was watching them. "Look," he whispered. 

With a quick movement, before she could protest, Logan grabbed a fork and stuck the tines forcefully into his palm. He twisted them a little as he did, tearing larger holes in his hand. 

"Logan!" she exclaimed. 

"Don't draw attention to it, angel--you don't know what a bitch it is explainin' it ta people." 

She watched in wonder as the wounds closed in his palm. Carefully she ran her fingers over the new skin. Wiping his blood off her fingers with a napkin, she cleaned his hand off also. 

"Wow." 

Logan leaned back and watched her, taking a drag on his cigarette. 

"Do your teeth come back if they're knocked out?" 

"Yeah." 

Alexis sat awhile, watching him watch her. "If you drink alot of coffee do your teeth stain?" 

"No." 

"Have you tried it?" 

He paused. " . . . no." 

Alexis rolled her eyes and laughed. Logan watched her in amusement. 

"It's true!" he said. "I smoke . . . look at my teeth!" 

He took his cigarette out and showed her his teeth. He was right--his teeth were clean and straight. His canine teeth, top and bottom, were longer but didn't look too threatening--but Alexis have been on the receiving end of them and knew how painful they could be. Logan closed his mouth. 

"Super enamel. That's what everyone needs," Alexis chuckled. She finished her coffee. 

"So what about you, Alexis?" Logan asked quietly, fingering another cigarette to cover his nervousness. . . . Victoria smiled . . . 

Alexis smiled coyly at him. "Maybe next time." 

. . . "Good!" Victoria said to herself happily. "Keep him wondering!" 

She took the cigarette from his hands and lit it as he watched her with astonishment in his eyes. 

"I didn't know you smoked!" 

She smiled again. "Now you do. Next time you'll learn more." 

Logan shook his head. "All right. Come on, woman, I'll take you home." 

. . . Logan took me home--we decided (I did, really) not to sleep together for awhile, till we get things going again. We haven't done anything--Logan's given me good-night kisses, which are sweet--but we haven't slept together or had sex for two weeks now. 

I miss it (of course!), but I know it will be better in the long run. 

Well, I have to go . . . tell your mom and dad I said hello, love and kisses-- Alexis 

PS COME VISIT ME SOON! (Remy's dying to meet you!!) 


	6. Dog Days

Disclaimer: The basics. Marvel owns all X-Men characters. I use them without getting paid or compensated in any way. Don't sue--you won't get much. Alexis/Nocturne and Victoria/Platinum are characters of my own creation. Clarification: The "X-Men Universe" isn't put to much use in my stories. I use the characters, but they're in my own universe. Also, these stories are added in chronological order (unless indicated otherwise), and probably make more sense that way. The numbers before the title indicate which story it is-i.e. 1=first story, 2=second story, etc. As always, any questions or comments are welcome! 

6. Dog Days 

"Nocturne!" Platinum screamed. "Those people--they need help!" 

Nocturne dodged a blast and glanced around. To her right, two adults and a child were standing frozen. The building they were standing near was beginning to crumble--the Sentinel Wolverine was madly ripping apart was falling against it. 

Nocturne could guess Platinum saw what would happen--the building would completely collapse and crush the family under it. 

"Shit!" Nocturne shouted inside her head. She had only a few seconds to get them out of there. 

She didn't change back. A naked woman couldn't convince them to move. And no one else was close enough . . . she darted over to them. 

The child wasn't very old--five at the most. She only hoped she'd get her heat cooled down enough not to burn him. 

Rushing up to the small group, she grabbed the child by the seat of his pants. Ignoring the gasps and the cry of, 

"What is that dog doing?" 

Nocturne galloped away with the child in her mouth. She knew the parents would follow. She ran down the block, out of the range of the battle. 

While she attempted her rescue, Platinum tried to keep track of her. But just as Nocturne reached them, Platinum was lifted up. 

"Rogue! What--" 

"Gotta Sentinel comin' down, sugah. You was in the way." 

Platinum watched the ground shake as the robot hit the ground, minus its head. "Oops, hang on," Rogue said. "We've gotta do some fancy flyin'." A Sentinel loomed ahead of them. "Fly close to it," Platinum said to her. "I want a shot at it." Rogue dodged passed the robot's hand and flew around its head. "Hurry, sugah!" Platinum concentrated. Suddenly, in her mind, she could see inside the Sentinel's head, clear to the computer chips that controlled its action. With a slight "push" of her thought, all the circuitry went black. The robot's knees locked, ad it slowly collapsed to the ground. "Tim-ber!" Rogue and Platinum heard Jubilee shout. She was smiling up at them. They smiled back and went to destroy the few remaining robots. Platinum lost track of Nocturne. 

--- 

Nocturne carried the child a block and a half before setting him down. She had heard the pounding of footsteps behind her and the slow rumble of the building collapsing and knew they were safe. 

The parents were far behind her--she heard them gasp as the building fell--so she stayed with the child until they arrived. The child, frightened, clung to her neck. She licked the tears from his face. 

The two parents ran up and stopped in front of her. Nocturne knew she looked intimidating. As a wolf she stood almost four feet tall at the shoulder. Her light hazel eyes stood out sharply against the jet black of her hair. 

"Roger," the woman said nervously, taking his arm, "what kind of dog is that?" 

"I don't know, honey. But he saved our lives--if he hadn't grabbed Steven we would still be under that building." 

Roger took a step closer to Nocturne. "I wonder if he's a police dog." 

He reached Nocturne. She allowed him to pat her head as he took the boy away. 

"Here, honey," he said. The woman rushed forward and gathered the boy into her arms. 

"Who do you belong to?" the man asked, searching through her thick ruff for a collar. 

Nocturne could still hear the fight and wanted to get back to it. She began to back away. 

"Hey!" the man exclaimed. He grabbed her neck. "He doesn't have a collar!" 

Everything happened at once. The man's hold tightened, the woman stepped forward, and the battle echoed in Nocturne's ears. She pulled away from the man quickly. He lunged after her. 

Darting passed him, hoping to get away, Nocturne ran around a car, shaking her head, thinking, 

"Lord I hate cities!" 

She had no time to react as the taxi bore down on her. 

--- 

Finally the last Sentinel was destroyed. All eight X-Men trudged back wearily to the Blackbird. Jubilee was last as they walked up the ramp. 

"Where's Nocturne?" she asked. 

Wolverine stopped. "She ain't here." 

Cyclops said quickly, "All right--let's go back and look for her." 

They returned cautiously and searched without luck. They met in a group near a fallen Sentinel. 

"Let's go about this logically," Cyclops said. "Who saw her last?" 

"I picked her up once ta burn a hole in one'a these sucka's," Rogue said. "Then I putter down. I picked up Platinum next." 

"Then I saw her last," Platinum continued. "There was a family standing under a building about to collapse. I shouted for her to help them--she took off. Then Rogue grabbed me . . . I don't know where she went." 

"Why didn't you watch her? Why didn't you pay attention?" Wolverine exploded, moving threateningly toward her. 

"There was a battle going on, Logan," she replied, refusing to step back. 

"Why didn't you--!" 

Wolverine lunged for her, his blades sliding from his arms. Platinum quickly thought up a force field, then had to rethink it even faster as Gambit stepped in-between her and Wolverine. His blades were stopped short of Gambit's chest. 

"Easy, mon ami," Gambit said. "Tryin' to attack Platinum will not get you far." 

"You can't hide behind a force field forever!" he spit. 

"Wolverine," Cyclops said, "stop it. We don't know where Nocturne is. She might have made it back to the Blackbird by now. Let's go check." 

"And what if she hasn't?! Whatta 'bout then?" 

Cyclops sighed. "Then I propose we go back to the mansion, tell Professor Xavier what has happened and--" 

"And what? Hope Charlie can somehow locate her?! She was wolf--she didn't have any clothes--she could be in a fuckin' dog pound by now!" Wolverine shouted, spinning to face him. 

"Calm down, Logan," Cyclops replied, refusing to raise his voice. "We'll find her. It just may take some time." 

"Wrong, boy. I'll find her. Platinum, which way did she go?" 

"Logan, reconsider this," Storm objected. "Your outfit is stained with blood. Come back to the mansion, get cleaned up. Then you can come back and--" 

"No! I'm lookin' for her now! Vic, tell me!" 

Platinum sighed. Glancing at Cyclops she said, 

"Nocturne ran down 4th Street, Logan. To save those people. Logan, be careful." 

He bared his teeth at her and the rest of the group and disappeared in the growing darkness. 

--- 

At the mansion several hours later, cleaned up, rested and fed, Hank, Victoria, and Remy waited for Wolverine's return. Remy held Victoria in-between her restless pacing. 

"Where is he?" she questioned. "He should have been back at least an hour ago!" 

"He'll be back. Don you worry 'bout Wolv'rine," Remy reassured her, getting up and leading her back to the couch. 

They sat quietly a while. The front door slammed, making all three of them jump. They heard heavy footsteps in the hall. 

"Home is the hunter, home from the hills," Hank quipped as Logan came in. 

"Well? Did you find her?" Remy asked. 

"Does is look like I found her?!" Logan shouted. 

He went to the fireplace and put his arm on the mantle, facing away from them. The blood and dirt on his outfit had merged to a dull brown. 

"Logan," Victoria said quietly, "what happened? Did you find anything?" 

"Her trail was cold," he replied. His voice was flat. "I followed what was left of it up the sidewalk 'bout a block an' a half. Then she stopped. She went out inta the street--there was a heavier scent on the pavement. She had laid down--or was knocked down. And then, nothin'. The trail was completely gone. I couldn't even pick up anything in the air . . . ." 

His voice faded out. Hank, after a few moments, asked, 

"What did you mean, 'or was knocked down'? Was this on the street?" 

"Yeah. And I mean 'knocked down' 'cause . . . 'cause I found her blood on the asphalt." 

Victoria's jaw dropped. She glanced at Remy, who took her hand. Hank remained silent. 

Logan clenched his fist by his leg. In a sudden rush of fury, he roared and swept the vase on the mantle violently to the floor. It shattered as it hit the tiles. 

Victoria wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but kept back. Eventually Hank led the other two from the room silently. They left Logan to brood alone. 

--- 

Nocturne half-awoke groggily. She was on her side, held down with restraints, and in the bumpiest bed she'd ever laid on. It took her a few minutes to realize she was in a station wagon. 

Her neck was weak but she attempted to lift her head unsuccessfully. 

"Daddy! The dog's wakin' up!" a child screamed. 

Nocturne flinched at the sudden noise. She couldn't find any purchase with her feet. 

"She is?" the man replied. Nocturne continued to struggle as she felt the car pull into the gravel beside the road. "Don't go near her, Stevie." 

The car stopped. The man got out and came around to the back. 

Nocturne whimpered. 

"Easy girl," the man said. "The doctor said to do this if you woke up before we got home." 

She felt a sting as the needle pushed into her skin. The drug burned. In only a few seconds, Nocturne went back to sleep. 

--- 

When she woke up again, her mind was clearer but her body ached terribly. She opened her eyes. 

She was in a kitchen, laying on some blankets. Carefully she tried to move her legs. Her left front leg hurt so much she yipped immediately. 

Instantly the family was at her side. 

"Wow--look at her eyes!" the older boy exclaimed. He looked to be about eleven. "What kind of dog did the vet say she was?" 

"He didn't know, Mike," the man replied. "He thought some kind of mix--Great Dane or Wolfhound because of her size and German Shepherd because of her looks." 

"Stupid people," Nocturne thought. 

"Are we going to keep her, dad? Huh?" 

"Yes!" the little boy cried. "She's my dog!" 

With that, the boy threw himself down on her. 

Nocturne jumped and cried out in pain. She didn't bite him, as she should have done, but swallowed her instincts and bore it. 

The man lifted him off. 

"Don't do that, Stevie. This dog is hurt, remember? She got hit by a car." 

"Can we keep her dad? Are we going to keep her?" 

"Now, I don't know . . . ." the woman began. 

"She didn't have a collar or license, Emily," the man protested. "She could be a stray." 

"But she's so big . . . ." 

"She'll be all right. Besides, the kids already love her. She saved our lives in Buffalo!" 

Emily sighed. "I'm not too sure this is a good thing . . . but we can keep her until she gets better. We'll put a lost dog ad in the paper." 

The kids cheered and the man smiled. 

"All right, boys," he said, "it's time for bed. You can see the dog tomorrow--right now she needs to rest." 

The woman chased them out of the kitchen. The man softly patted Nocturne's side before leaving. 

"You're a good dog," he said, flipping off the lights. 

In the glow of the digital clock on the microwave, Nocturne sighed and tried not to move. 

"So I got hit by a car,' she thought. "A Sentinel can't stop me, but something with four wheels--! 

"I guess nothing's broken--I'm not in a cast. The side of my head hurt's worst . . . how long was I out? Where the hell am I? These people are kind of stupid--they've obviously never had a dog before. I guess I'll be here till I heal up. 

"Couldn't Victoria pin-point me? Or Doc X? And Logan . . . even he couldn't track me down?! Oh god. Where am I? How long was I unconscious? Oh god . . . ." 

With a quiet whimper of worry, Nocturne drifted back to sleep. 

--- Nocturne found out later that the car had bruised her leg and ribcage, gave her a concussion, and almost ripped off her ear. The man informed her of all this the next day when he found her limping around the kitchen on three legs. He forced her back down on the pile of blankets. 

"Come on, dog, I know it's rough, but the vet said you have to rest. I'll bring your food and water over." 

She was made to stay still for the better part of the week, until they took her back to the vet for a re-check. 

She was too heavy for the man to lift and carry himself. He left a moment and returned with another, younger man who smelled of soap and other dogs--the vet's assistant. 

"That's a big dog, Mr. Peterson," he said in admiration when the back of the car was opened. "You planning on keeping her? She looks healthy--I wouldn't mind having a dog like this." 

Roger smiled. "Well, my wife is going to put some ads in the Buffalo paper, but she wasn't wearing a collar. I don't think that will pan out. We'll see." 

They hoisted her up on a stretcher and took her inside the office. Sharp smells assaulted her nostrils . . . anethesias, medicines, and the fear of other animals. 

"Damn," she thought, "no wonder animals hate this place!" 

They took her into a bright room and put her on a table. The vet, an older man, came in immediately. 

"Hello, Mr. Peterson, I'm Dr. Chandler. Let's take a look." 

He began to examine Nocturne. His hands were gentle, especially over her leg and ear. She was grateful. 

"What's her name?" 

Roger cleared his throat. "She doesn't really have one yet." 

"Ha!" thought Nocturne. 

"We were in Buffalo and she was hit by a car . . . she didn't have a license so we took her to a vet there. He sewed her up and we brought her home." 

"Where am I?" Nocturne screamed silently. "I'm not in Buffalo? Am I still in New York?!" 

"Well, the vet in Buffalo did a nice job sewing her ear. It looks like there's a bit of infection. We can clear that up. And her leg is only bruised--she didn't pull any muscles or strain the ligaments. She'll be up and around probably in the next week. She may limp for awhile but it should heal cleanly." 

"That's what the other vet said." 

"She's in exceptional health, Mr. Peterson. You've got a good dog here--she didn't even flinch when I ran my hands over her leg. Are you going to keep her?" 

"Yes . . . I think we will." 

"Shit . . . " groaned Nocturne. 

"We've never had a dog before. What will we need to do?" 

To Nocturne's dismay, the vet began listing everything they'd need to be the perfect dog owners: collars, leashes, crates, obedience training, dog-food, flea spray . . . she clunked her head down on the table and closed her eyes. 

--- 

The Petersons followed the doctor's orders religiously. Nocturne, now christened Shadow, received a leather collar and a choke-chain. She was put in a metal crate when the family was away or sleeping and taken outside only on a leash. 

The ads in the paper were never placed. Mrs. Peterson neglected to do it when she saw how gentle the dog was with her children. And with the crime rate going up, she reasoned, a dog wasn't too bad an investment. 

All their neighbors commented on the size and ferocious looking appearance of Shadow, but were reassured as they saw four-year old Stevie walk Shadow with no problems. 

It took her almost two weeks to be able to put her weight on her foot again and walk without a limp. Nocturne still didn't know where she was. It worried her terribly. 

Mr. Peterson and Mike took her to obedience class. It was a responsible but useless gesture. After the first class the instructor pulled them aside and asked if she'd been trained before and if this was just a refresher course. They told him they weren't sure. 

Intrigued, the instructor took Nocturne's lead and ran her around the ring. He began with basic commands and progressed to extremely advanced ones. She performed all of them expertly. Mr. Peterson and Mike watched, dumb-founded. 

"I don't know where you got this dog," the instructor said as he stopped beside them. Nocturne promptly sat at his side, her tongue rolling. She looked as if she were smiling. "She's amazing. If I were you, I'd look into obedience trials. She'd be a winner." 

Mr. Peterson looked proud. Nocturne rolled her eyes and decided she wouldn't be shown. She'd absolutely refuse. 

--- 

Another week passed. The stitches in the side of her head came out, although her ear was still tender. The kids, especially Stevie, continued to enjoy her more and more. 

They walked her every day, played tag and catch with her, and used her as a pillow on the living room floor. 

They were good kids and a nice family, but Nocturne wasn't happy. It was degrading acting as if she were an ordinary dog. She worried if she'd have trouble changing back to human since it'd been so long that she had. She wondered if the other X-men had given her up for lost. She missed Logan. 

Nocturne decided she wouldn't run away from the Petersons until she knew where she was. She had plenty of opportunities to escape (especially when Stevie took her out--usually her let the leash drag on the ground)--but she didn't. It was and easy life, although not a perfect one. 

Once, while the boys and Mr. Peterson were gone, Mrs. Peterson took a long bath, Nocturne, outside the bathroom door, listened to her sing, shook her head, and went back to work on the rawhide bone she'd been given. 

Mrs. Peterson finished her bath and walked to her bedroom. Nocturne followed. As Mrs. Peterson was drying her hair, Nocturne heard a quiet "click" coming from the living room. She slipped out of the bedroom unnoticed to investigate. 

A man, dressed in black, had slipped in through a window. He was searching through Emily's purse and didn't see Nocturne. 

"You just made you last mistake, buddy," Nocturne thought evilly. "Oh man--I'm starting to sound like Wolverine. Oh god, I miss him!" 

She pushed it out of her mind and narrowed her eyes. She wanted to sneak up on the man, but as she walked closer, he began to turn around. 

With a nasty snarl, Nocturne rushed him. 

He screamed. She continued her wet growls as she knocked him down. Trying to fend her off, she lacerated his hand with a few swipes of her teeth. She tried to grab his throat. The man couldn't scream any more. 

Mrs. Peterson could. 

She screamed long and loud. 

"Oh Jesus lady--call him off! Call him off!" the burglar shrieked. 

"Shadow--stop it!!" 

Nocturne immediately quit. She backed away, still showing her teeth. The thief sat up, holding his bloody hand, almost hysterical. He tried to stand up. 

Instantly Nocturne knocked him down again. She didn't make a sound. 

"Shadow!" Emily cried. She backed off. Emily informed the man, "You'd better stay on the floor. I'm calling the police." 

"Fucking dog tore up my hand . . . " 

Nocturne smiled. 

The police came, collected the burglar and Emily's statements, praised Nocturne, and left. In the after-shock, Emily fell to the floor beside Nocturne and wept. 

Mr. Peterson and his sons returned home to find Emily still clinging to Nocturne. Nocturne wagged her tail slowly as they entered. 

Shakily, Emily recounted the story. Again Nocturne was praised--this time with the promise of a steak. That night she was allowed to sleep outside her crate. 

At 2:30am Nocturne made sure the family was asleep. She went to the kitchen, and in the green light of the microwave's digital clock, transformed back into a human. 

It wasn't as hard as she imagined it would be, but it left her out of breath. After catching it, she went to the phone. 

Dialing the mansion's number, the phone was answered on the third ring. 

"Jubilee!" Nocturne whispered. 

"Alexis!" came the ecstatic reply. "Where are you?! It's been over a month--we've been searching! Wolvie's been nuts--where are you?!" 

"Jubilee! Jubilee--shut up! Listen to me!" she whispered urgently. "I don't have much time!" "Where are you? Wait--I'll go get Wolvie up and--" "Jubilee--damn it, listen! I don't know where I am. Some family's got me as a pet--this was the first chance I've had to call." "A pet? Where?" "I don't know!" "What should we do?" "I don't know . . . the family's name is Peterson. Wait--get Beast. He can set up a tracer on the phone call. Can you do that?" "He won't like to get woken up, but--" Nocturne heard someone get up. "Shit--I have to go--I'll call back sometime later." She hung up. Mr. Peterson came into the kitchen. Nocturne looked up at him, from the floor. She yawned. "Sorry girl. Thought I heard someone talking. Couldn't be, though. You'd take care of them." He laughed and took her back to her crate. She was locked in the rest of the night. 

--- 

It was almost another week and a half before Nocturne had another chance to use the phone. Stevie had begun thinking she was a better horse than dog. It didn't bother her--she'd carried Jubilee on her back before and Stevie didn't weigh a fraction of her. Mrs. Peterson was livid when she found out but Stevie continued to do it whenever he got the chance. 

He got good at it. Nocturne never went any faster than a trot. He thought it was great fun. As he slid off he'd laugh and squeeze her neck. She licked his face, which made him laugh harder. 

Her next chance at the phone came as an accident. The grocery shopping needed to be done, and in her hurrying Mrs. Peterson neglected to lock the crate door. Nocturne could barely help from barking in glee. 

As the car pulled out of the driveway, she glanced at the clock. She had almost an hour before Mike got home from school. 

She nosed the door of the crate open and darted for the phone. By the time she got there she was human. 

Making sure she wasn't standing in front of a window because she was naked, she dialed. 

"Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," a deep voice answered. 

"Hank!" Nocturne cried. 

"Alexis! We wondered when you would find the time to call. You have extraordinarily bad luck--this is the first time since your last call that Logan has not been within striking distance of a telephone. Professor Xavier has made him go to the Danger Room and work off his nervous energy. You should really have a talk with him, Alexis. His telephone etiquette is reprehensible. He--" 

"Hank!" she interrupted. "I don't mean to interrupt what appears to be a novel length commentary, but I want out of here! I don't even know where I am!" 

"Patience, dear heart," he replied calmly. "Even as I spoke I was typing in search commands. My speech was only intended to keep you on the line long enough to get an accurate trace. Not to bore or worry you." 

"Oh Hank . . . I'm sorry. I just want to come home. I miss everyone! Do my parents know?" 

"Yes, they know. Your mother, I dare say, is almost as ferocious as Logan. Please do not take that as an insult." 

She laughed. "No. I think you nailed it on the nose. Is the trace done?" 

"No . . ." she could hear him type. ". . . crossing the border is taking some time." 

"Crossing the border?!" 

"It seems you are in Canada, Alexis. Wait . . . in Montreal. Now I'll try to pinpoint the house." 

"Montreal." Nocturne leaned against the wall. "Yes . . . part of Logan's old territory. . . just a few more minutes. . . he will not be pleased he missed your call, Alexis. I hope he does not take his frustrations out on me. Jubilation woke him up with her screaming the other time, but by the time he flew down the stairs you had hung up. In his rage he shredded the phone. Jubilation, wisely, made no move to stop him. However, watching him, she made the dry comment she hoped you wouldn't try to call back that night because the phone was inoperational. That erupted into a shouting match that woke the rest of the house. No one got any sleep after that." 

"Oh Logan . . . " Nocturne whispered. "I'm sorry, Hank. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble." 

"Don't be apologetic. We have been worried about you as well. A little domestic disturbances always make life interesting." 

She laughed. 

"Wait . . . wait--got it! 426 Bower Street, Montreal, Canada! The family's name is Peterson, correct?" 

"Yes! That's it!" Nocturne shouted. "Thank you Hank! Will you send someone to pick me up?" 

He chuckled. "I believe Logan will drop absolutely everything to come and retrieve you. He wouldn't have it any other way." 

"I know. . . tell him to get up here as quick as possible." 

"I'm sure he will," Hank replied. "It will take several hours to get there, you realize." 

"Yes," she sighed. "I know. But relay the message, okay? Is Logan out of the Danger Room yet?" 

"No--he's got another fifteen minutes." 

"All right. I should go . . . tell everyone I miss them." 

"I will." 

"And Hank . . . thanks. It was good to talk to you." 

"You're welcome, Alexis. I'll see you soon." 

"Bye." 

"Good bye." 

Nocturne hung up the phone and went back to the crate to wait impatiently. 

--- 

The next morning Mike took her out for a walk. He wanted to take her to the ballfield--he said Shadow was the best outfielder they ever had. Nocturne went along reluctantly. 

Since it was Saturday, Mrs. Peterson sent Stevie out to play. Mr. Peterson half-watched his son playing in the driveway as he scraped the siding. 

A jeep drove by slowly but he only gave it a passing glance. He dismissed it even as it pulled to a stop to park across the street. He walked into the garage to get the paint and a paintbrush. 

As he came out of the garage, Mr. Peterson saw a short, stocky man talking to Stevie. He couldn't hear the conversation but had a bad feeling. 

"Hey!" he shouted. 

The man glanced at him. He turned back to Stevie and pout his hand on the boy's shoulder. 

Mr. Peterson say a blur of black rushing down the sidewalk. 

"Good girl, Shadow," he thought quickly, "and once you're finished with that pervert, I'll take care of him." 

It was almost frightening to witness. Shadow galloped straight down the sidewalk soundlessly. But the man must have sensed her coming, because he spun around just as she launched herself at him. 

She caught him square in the chest. To Mr. Peterson's surprise, however, the man didn't even take a step backwards. He had taken the full 150lb. rushing dog and didn't stagger. 

The man actually picked her up off the ground, hugging her. Shadow was whimpering and licking his face. Mr. Peterson could see the man was whispering something, although he couldn't tell what it was. 

A striking woman walked up beside the man. Mr. Peterson decided he'd had enough. 

"Hey," he said again, walking down the driveway, "what do you think you're doing to our dog?" 

"Your dog?" Logan repeated, looking up to Mr. Peterson. Carefully he set her down. "First of all, bub, she ain't yours. Second, she's not a dog. She's a wolf." 

Mr. Peterson looked surprised. The woman warned, 

"Logan." 

He glanced at her. 

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized. "My name is Victoria Fairborne and this is Logan. I'm afraid he is correct, however. Nocturne belongs with us." 

"Nocturne? Listen, I don't know what kind of scam you people are trying to pull, but this dog is ours. She saved our lives in Buffalo. We looked for a collar or license, which she didn't have. Then she got hit by a car--" 

"She got hit by a car?" Logan shouted. He dropped to his knees beside her. "Nocturne, are you okay? What happened?" 

Nocturne stared at him. "Don't blow it, Logan--they don't know we're mutants!" she pleaded silently. 

Apparently he had the same thoughts. He stood back up quickly. Mrs. Peterson came outside and Mike ran up, panting. 

"I don't know what happened, Dad!" he exclaimed. "She just bit the leash in two and took off. She's never done that before!" 

"Roger, what do these people want?" 

"They say that Shadow's theirs." 

"No!" Mike shouted. 

Victoria could tell that Logan was losing patience. 

"Shadow didn't have a license when we found her," protested Mrs. Peterson. "She saved us from those awful mutants fighting, and she saved us from being robbed! You can't take her!" 

"Nocturne is a very special wolf," Victoria said. She hoped they didn't know enough about police systems so she could lie. "Secret service dogs aren't required to have licenses or even collars when they are out in public. 

"These dogs are so well trained they seem almost human." 

Nocturne rolled her eyes. She nuzzled her nose into Logan's palm. He glanced down and softly rested his hand on her head. She sighed. 

"She broke command when she rescued you," Victoria continued. "Then she must have gotten confused and run out into the street. 

No one in the family said anything. Taking this positively, Logan turned and gestured to Victoria and Nocturne. They began to follow him. 

"Roger!" Mrs. Peterson cried. 

"I'll pay you anything you want," he said quickly. "Don't take our dog away." 

They stopped. Victoria glanced at Logan. He took a breath, then kept walking. 

"I'm sorry," Victoria apologized. "We'll reimburse you for your troubles." 

Mr. Peterson took his wife's hand and didn't say anything more. They watched the three walk to the jeep. Stevie began to cry. 

Instantly Nocturne stopped. She turned and darted back to them. 

"Nocturne!" Logan cried. 

She ignored him. Going to Stevie, she licked away his tears. He began to giggle. She gave Mike a lick, and Mrs. Peterson. She looked up at Mr. Peterson with her golden eyes, then spun around and ran back to Logan and Victoria. 

All three climbed into the jeep. Victoria took the driver's seat. Nocturne jumped into the back. As the jeep pulled away, she turned as watched the four family members until they turned the corner and she couldn't see them any more. She sighed. 

--- 

They travelled for a while. Nocturne was tempted to climb into the front with Logan, but knew that would interfere with Victoria's driving. Then she couldn't stand it any more. She clawed the back of her seat. 

"What? What do you want?" Victoria asked, glancing in the mirror. 

Logan turned around to look at her. "What is it, angel? Anything I can do?" 

"I wish I couldn't read minds," Victoria muttered, after seeing Alexis's reply. 

Alexis whined and pulled on Victoria's shirt with her teeth. 

"Clothes!" she shouted. "I want to be human again!" 

"Oh shit," Victoria said aloud. "We forgot!" 

"Forgot what?" questioned Logan, feeling lost. 

"Couldn't you have said something before we got on the highway?!" she said to Alexis. To Logan she said, "Alex wants to be human again . . . but we forgot her clothes." 

"Here," he replied, shrugging off his fleece lined jacket. "Take my coat." 

He tossed it into the back. 

"But Alex--you don't have any pants--" Victoria stopped as Alexis transformed from wolf to human and slipped on the jacket. She sighed. "Well, now you're only half naked." 

Alexis shivered as the wind hit her bare legs. 

"You look great," Logan said. "Come here." 

She smiled and crawled into his lap. He hugged her tightly. She ran her fingers in his hair. 

"I missed you," she whispered. 

Logan nodded and kissed her. 

"Jesus you two!" Victoria exploded, interrupting them. "We're barreling down a highway! Alexis--you don't have any pants on! My god." 

Alexis didn't turn to her. "I'll just give the truckers a thrill," she shrugged. Before Logan could make a comment, jealous or otherwise, she kissed him again. 

"All right. Fine," Victoria sighed. "Could you maybe just do that in the back? Would that be too much to ask?" 

Without a reply, Alexis and Logan climbed into the back. 

"Why didn't ya heist a paira that woman's pant's?" Logan asked as she settled back against him. 

"Mrs. Peterson was a size four!" 

"So?" 

"I'm not exactly that small." 

"Woulda fooled me . . . ." 

Victoria rolled her eyes. 

A few seconds of relative silence passed. Then she heard Logan say, 

"You taste like dog food." 

"Logan! I just spent the last six weeks as a wolf. They didn't feed me steak and caviar!" 

He laughed. So did Victoria. 

"Shut up!" 

They didn't. 

Alexis sighed. "Speaking of food . . . can we stop somewhere and get something to eat? Being a wolf screw up my metabolism. I'm hungry." 

Victoria glanced at them in the mirror with shock on her face. "I am not going through a drive-thru if you don't have any pants on! They'd probably send the police after us!" 

"There's a blanket back here. I'll cover up." 

Victoria sighed and began to look for an exit ramp. 

"These collars are a real statement, angel," she heard Logan say. 

"You still have your collars on?!" 

"I forgot. Sorry. I just got so used to them . . . " 

Victoria watched in the mirror as Alexis tried to take them off. Logan fingered them. 

". . . they won't come off." 

"Change back to a wolf," Victoria suggested. 

"Easier way," Logan objected. 

With the back of his hand flat against her neck, his blades shot up underneath the two collars. A flick of his wrist destroyed both the metal and leather. Victoria flinched at the sound. 

It also made her angry. 

"Damn it, Logan, if anyone saw you do that--" 

"They didn't. Just drive. Find a place to eat. And then floor it all the way back to the mansion, Stripe." 

His tone made her even angrier, but he had pulled Alexis closer again and was ignoring her. She sighed and followed his instructions. 

--- They reached the mansion after ten. Alexis, having no qualms, walked in and was greeted by everyone holding the blanket around her waist. She hugged Hank and Jubilee, although she asked the girl, 

"I'm glad you got my call Jube--but what were you doing up that late?" 

"Well Brian--" her latest boyfriend, "--had just dropped me off and . . . ." she blushed. 

Alexis laughed and let her off the hook. 

Everyone wanted to hear the entire story and Alexis wanted to be caught up with everything that had happened to them, but Professor Xavier shooed them off to bed. It was too late, he informed them, to retell all of it. There would be plenty of time tomorrow. 

They were disappointed but agreed. They retired. 

Logan held Alexis tightly as they fell asleep in his bed. Then, during the night, he half-awoke feeling something was wrong. She was gone. 

A cry of confusion stuck in his throat as he sat up. 

"No! It wasn't just a dream--" he didn't finish his whisper as he saw her standing in front of an open window. 

It had always amazed Alexis that Logan had chosen this room as his own. The window she stood in front of opened to a small wrought-iron balcony. It overlooked the estates formal gardens. 

On nights like this one, with a clear sky and a half moon, the scene was beautiful. Her thin nightshirt didn't protect her from the slight breeze. She shivered. 

Instantly Logan's hands were on her shoulders. 

"What are you doin'?" he whispered. 

"I told you being a wolf messes up my metabolism. It also messes up my sleep patterns." 

He took a step closer, holding her to him. He looked over the garden with her. 

Alexis leaned back against him. He was very solid behind her. 

"I've missed you," he said quietly. 

"I missed you too," she replied. Turning to face him, her eyes followed her fingers as they made their way up his neck to his cheeks. Carefully they brushed his eyebrows as he watched her. 

His eyes were darker grey in the moonlight. 

He slid his hands down her shoulders to her silk-clad back. The material always felt odd, he thought, under his broad hands. It was too delicate. 

They kissed. 

"Come back to bed with me," Logan whispered. 

She avoided his eyes for a moment. "I don't want to have sex, Logan," she said quietly. 

"If you don't want to, we won't," he replied, surprising her. He continued, "You were gone and I couldn't find you . . . I didn't know what to do. For a month and a half I didn't know. . . I want to hold you, Alexis. We won't do anything else." 

He took her back to the bed willingly. She fell asleep again in his arms. 


End file.
